Video: Sensational fireball over Argentina

Mike Krumboltz

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The Lookout•April 23, 2013

The sudden burst of light that illuminated the dark sky over northern Argentina early Sunday morning is believed to be a meteor explosion.

Video shot at a concert captured the fireball's power to turn night into day, if only for a few seconds. In the footage, a band, Los Tekis, is playing at an outdoor venue. Fans cheer and marvel as the fireball appears at around 3:30 a.m., local time. No pyrotechnics necessary at this concert.

Argentinian newspaper La Gaceta spoke with Jorge Coghlan, director of the Astronomical Observatory of Santa Fe. According to NBC News, Coughlin said, "This object disintegrated at an altitude high enough to be seen for hundreds of miles." He speculated that the object may have been a space rock about 20 cm in diameter.

Contrast that with the meteor that flew over and then struck down in Russia several months back. That meteor, which injured hundreds, measured 15 meters across, according to LiveScience.